Regio (Germany)

If you will be taking a journey by these Gerrman Regio trains our guide will tell you all the key things you need to know, from booking and using tickets, to making the most of the journey experience.

The trains used on Regio services come in many shapes and sizes, as they fulfil different functions across the German rail network.
 
Some are double deck, others are single deck, some are very new, while others offer a retro travelling experience.

TICKETS         SUMMARY

Regio train SERVICES can be broadly divided into four categories:

(1) Those that follow the routes of IC and ICE express trains, but stop at stations (including some airport/flughafen stations) that IC/ICE trains skip -  so are slower than the express trains.

(2) Trains that link multiple towns in built up areas, on routes that usually aren’t taken by IC or ICE trains.

(3) Semi-fast cross country trains in more rural areas.

These three faster services are categorised as RE 'Regional Express' trains and it can be worth looking out for these services, as they are quicker, but cost the same price as the slower Regio services - when both are an option.

The Regio trains that use double deck coaches are most often found on those three types of service.

(4) ‘Local’ trains OUTSIDE of the major cities which call at every station - so rural branch line trains fall into this category.

These slower trains are designated as RB services on timetables etc, RB = 'RegionalBahn'

So something to watch out for is that on certain routes some Regio trains, the RE trains can be faster than others because they skip stations, while the slower RB trains will be calling at every station.

As a result it can be worth checking the arrival times of  Regio trains on the paper departure sheets.
An RE train that leaves later than an RB train, can actually reach its final destination sooner.

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Tickets:

What virtually* all Regio trains have in common is that seats can’t be reserved and that tickets aren’t discounted.

As  a result tickets for journeys by Regio trains aren't usually available online.
*some Regio services/routes to/from Munchen are the exception.

What's particuarly good to know is that if you book a ticket at the station for a journey by Regio trains, you can't then use it to travel by IC trains or ICE trains.

An overview of train travel in Germany

How to buy tickets for German train journeys

Travelling ON the trains in Germany

Travelling on European daytime trains

Travelling on European overnight trains

International train routes to/from Germany

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